Originally released in November 2003, the list was selected from over 1,600 albums by nearly 300 musicians, music critics and figures in the music business. You’ll find the complete list below, but if you’d like more information about the list itself and the albums that made the cut, visit http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531. Without further ado, here’s the list:

31. Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home
32. The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed
33. Ramones – Ramones
34. The Band – Music From Big Pink
35. David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars

111. Radiohead – The Bends
112. The Mamas & The Papas – If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears
113. Joni Mitchell – Court and Spark
114. Cream – Disraeli Gears
115. The Who – The Who Sell Out

116. The Rolling Stones – Out of Our Heads
117. Derek and The Dominos – Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
118. Kanye West – Late Registration
119. Etta James – At Last!
120. The Byrds – Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

196. Various Artists – Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968
197. R.E.M. – Murmur
198. Little Walter – The Best of Little Walter
199. The Strokes – Is This It
200. AC/DC – Highway to Hell

296. The Smiths – Meat Is Murder
297. The Mothers of Invention – We're Only In It For The Money
298. Kanye West – The College Dropout
299. Weezer – Weezer (Blue Album)
300. Black Sabbath – Master of Reality

Monday, April 29, 2013

I scratched another item off my “life list” on Sunday when I listened to Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” album from start to finish without interruption.

This is something that I’ve always wanted to do, but had just never taken the time to do it until this past weekend. I’d heard a number of the songs on the album before, but I could never honestly say that I’d listened to the entire album all the way through.

Many of you will be familiar with the British rock band Pink Floyd, which was formed in 1965. In all, the band recorded 14 studio albums, including:

- “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” (1967)

- “A Saucerful of Secrets” (1968)

- “Soundtrack from the Film More” (1969)

- “Ummagumma” (1969)

- “Atom Heart Mother” (1970)

- “Meddle” (1971)

- “Obscured by Clouds” (1972)

- “The Dark Side of the Moon” (1973)

- “Wish You Were Here” (1975)

- “Animals” (1977)

- “The Wall” (1979)

- “The Final Cut” (1983)

- “A Momentary Lapse of Reason” (1987)

- “The Division Bell” (1994)

Pink Floyd’s three most famous albums are “The Dark Side of the Moon,” “Wish You Were Here” and “The Wall.”

“The Wall” is one of those iconic rock albums that I’ve know about ever since junior high school, and I added it to my “life list” last year after reading that Rolling Stone magazine ranked it No. 87 on its list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time” in 2003. The album consists of 26 tracks and is one hour, 21 minutes and nine seconds long. Songs on the album include:

- “In the Flesh?”

- “The Thin Ice”

- “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1”

- “The Happiest Days of Our Lives”

- “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2”

- “Mother”

- “Goodbye Blue Sky”

- “Empty Spaces”

- “Young Lust”

- “One of My Turns”
- “Don’t Leave Me Now”

- “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 3”

- “Goodbye Cruel World”

- “Hey You”

- “Is There Anybody Out There?”

- “Nobody Home”

- “Vera”

- “Bring the Boys Back Home”

- “Comfortably Numb”

- “The Show Must Go On”

- “In the Flesh”

- “Run Like Hell”

- “Waiting for the Worms”

- “Stop”

- “The Trial”

- “Outside the Wall”

Many of you will recognize many of these songs, especially “Another Brick in the Wall,” “Hey You,” “Comfortably Numb” and “Run Like Hell.” The other songs on the album are not as well known, and I actually followed along to all of the songs with lyrics that I looked up online with my Kindle Fire. I think I got more out of the experience by doing it this way, following along with the words as the album played out.

In the end, I enjoyed scratching this item off my “life list” and will like add “Listen to Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ to next year’s “life list.” How many of you out there have ever listened to “The Wall”? What did you think about it? Which of the song on the album is your favorite? Which other albums would you recommend listening to from start to finish?

“The official groundbreaking of the Conecuh County Department of Human Resources (DHR) building was held on Wed., April 27, 1994 at 9 a.m. on Highway 83 in Evergreen.
“The 13,281 square-foot facility will have a construction cost of $882,667 and construction should be completed by next February.
“The cost of construction is being financed by a bond issue of the county paid off over a 15-year period by the State Department of Human Resources through rent payments. Conecuh County will retain ownership of the building. The land for the new building was donated by the county.
“Officials at the groundbreaking ceremony included Mayor Lomax Cassady; County Commission Chairman Frank Pate and county commission members Jerold Dean and Freddie Stallworth; Rosalyn Skipper Sales, Director of Economic Development; Jimmy Bell, Economic Development; DHR county board members Johnnie Mack Grace, Wanda Baker, Myrtle Crosby and Keith Pugh; Mrs. Joan Jones, Supervisor-in-Charge of the Conecuh County Department of Human Resources; Katie Williams, architect; and Lewis & Associates, contractors.”

“Total rainfall (for Evergreen) for April was 6.50 inches.”

“The winners of Southern Pine Electric Cooperative’s 1994 Washington Youth Tour Program have been selected. Kelly Booker, daughter of Rogene and Shirley Booker, is the female recipient. Kelly is a junior at Sparta Academy.”

34 YEARS AGO
MAY 3, 1979

“April ends with showers: Weather-wise April ended according to the lyrics of the old popular song… with showers. Earl Windham reports .08 of an inch of rain on April 23, 1.31 inches on April 24 and .18 on April 25. He also reports temperature readings that were PERFECT… perfect temperatures are those which are high enough that heat is not required and low enough that the air conditioner doesn’t have to be turned on… adding up to lower utility bills.”

“Tobacco spitting contest set here this Saturday: Professionals, semi-professionals and amateurs will compete here Saturday in the first-ever in this area ‘Tobacco Spitting Contest’ to be held in ‘No-Man’s-Land’ and they will be competing for trophies and these cash prizes: 1st place, $100; 2nd place, $50 and 3rd place, $25. There is no entry fee.
“The contest will begin at 1:15 p.m. and broadcast live over Evergreen Radio Station WBLO, 1470 k.c. Professional judges will select the winners judging on the basis of distance, skill and accuracy. Free chewing tobacco will be given to all who attend, spectators as well as contestants.
“Admission is absolutely free, according to the sponsoring Conecuh County Rescue Squad.
“Concessions (hot dogs and soft drinks) will be available and all profits from the ‘fun day’ will go to the Rescue Squad to help purchase much-needed equipment, according to City Councilman Pat Poole, general chairman of the event.”

49 YEARS AGO
MAY 7, 1964

“Hart and Salter are in runoff for judge; over 4,000 vote: It’s a runoff in the hottest race for judge of probate this county has seen in many a year.
“Judge Lloyd G. Hart had the lead in the balloting Tuesday that brought a near record turnout at the polls as over 4,000 county citizens voted. He faces Frank T. Salter, brother of State Rep. Wiley Salter, in the runoff June. 2.”

VISITS KENYA: James E. Williams, radarman seaman, USN, son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul L. Williams of Rt. 1, Owassa, Ala., visited Mombasa, Kenya, April 20-23 while serving aboard the destroyer USS Blue operating in the Western Pacific with the Seventh Fleet.”

“Oscar Lee Hendricks, ETI, and Mrs. Hendricks are spending some time with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Hendricks. Seaman Hendricks is on leave from the repair ship USS Hector. They will return shortly to Saselo, Japan for his next tour of duty.”

“The first annual Conecuh County FFA Barrow Show will be held here Monday under the sponsorship of Evergreen Kiwanis Club in cooperation with the State Department of Vocational Agriculture. The show will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the arena at Conecuh Cooperative Stockyard.
“A total of 30 boys will exhibit 54 barrows from litters out of some of the finest commercial herds in this area.
“There will also be a showman contest judged by Carl Wilson, DVM, Evergreen.
“The show is sponsored by Evergreen Kiwanis Club.”

64 YEARS AGO
MAY 5, 1949

“Sheriff W.D. Lewis and his force are cracking down on bootleggers and still operators in Conecuh County and last week the drive gained impetus with the capture of three distillers and two bootleggers. Three were caught Saturday in the act of distilling ‘moonshine’ and over 120 gallons of mash were found, according to Deputy Sheriff A.H. Lewis.
“Sunday the county law enforcers picked up two bootleggers. Also included in last week’s haul was the destroying of one of the largest stills ever seen in Conecuh County. This still was capable of about 150 to 200 gallons a run and 900 barrels of mash were found in it. According to Mr. Lewis, this amount of mash would distill about 100 gallons of ‘moonshine’ worth nearly $1,000 on the wholesale ‘bootleg’ market.”

“Another Banded Pigeon Is Captured Here: Another banded pigeon was captured on the mill yard of Reid Brothers Lumber Co. last week according to John Reid. Mr. Reid says the bird appeared to have been completely exhausted when caught. The right leg had what appeared to be an aluminum band with the number AU-45024 while the left leg had a green rubber band with number which was not distinguishable.”

“An unidentified burglar smashed the window of Andrews Jewelry & Repair on East Front Street about five o’clock last Thursday afternoon but was frightened away before he succeeded in getting any of the goods on the inside, or at least Mr. Andrews states he has not missed anything thus far.”

79 YEARS AGO
MAY 3, 1934

“STORES CLOSE THURSDAY P.M. BEGINNING NEXT WEEK: Business houses in Evergreen will close Thursday afternoon during the summer months beginning next Thurs., May 10.”

“Fire which originated around the burners of the hatchery units at the Evergreen Hatchery early Wednesday morning did considerable damage to the hatchery equipment and the large stock of feeds and other items carried. Among the items of loss were over 1,000 baby chicks which were suffocated by the smoke.”

“The farmers of the Lyeffion community are beginning to plant a large acreage of sugar cane for syrup.”

“Atmore, Ala., April 30 – While two companions swept the streets with menacing machine guns, two men today held up the Bank of Atmore and escaped with approximately $1,500.
“When their car drew up before the bank, two of the men got out and entered, covering M.A. Collins, bookkeeper, and a customer, Miss Patsy Owen, with pistols.
“’Put that money in this sack and don’t move or I’ll kill you,’ said one of the men advancing on Collins. The bookkeeper complied with the order and the two, with menacing muzzles of two pistols on Miss Owens and Collins, backed out.
“Meanwhile Tom Stallworth who operates a store next to the bank walked out of his door to be ordered back by one of the men in the car who threatened him with a machine gun.”

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Today is Sunday, so that means that it’s time for my weekly breakdown of this week’s Publishers Weekly Best-Sellers Lists. According to those lists, there are two new books at the top of the four major best-sellers lists this week.

"Whiskey Beach" by Nora Roberts replaced "Daddy's Gone a Hunting" by Mary Higgins Clark as the No. 1 book on the hardcover fiction best-sellers list.

"Proof of Heaven" by Eben Alexander replaced "The Witness" by Nora Roberts as the No. 1 book on the trade paperbacks best-sellers list.

"Lean In" by Sheryl Sandberg remained the top book on the hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list for the sixth week in a row.

"The Best of Me" by Nicholas Sparks remained the top book on the mass market paperback best-sellers list for the third straight week.

There were four books on this week’s hardcover fiction best-sellers list that weren’t on that list lat week. They (and their places on the list) included "Whiskey Beach" by Nora Roberts (1), "Taking Eve" by Iris Johansen (3), "A Man Without Breath" by Philip Kerr (14) and "Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald" by Therese Anne Fowler (15).

There were four books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They included "LeaderShift" by Orrin Woodward, Oliver DeMille (2), "The Athena Doctrine" by John Gerzema, Michael D'Antonio (7), "Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha" by John Romaniello, Adam Bornstein (9) and "Relish" by Daphne Oz (10).

There was only one book on this week’s mass market paperbacks best-sellers list that wasn’t on the list last week - "Bloodline" by James Rollins, which was No. 14 on the list.

There were two books on this week’s trade paperbacks best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They included "The Black Box" by Michael Connelly (4) and "Where We Belong" by Emily Giffin (11).

As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. These lists are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com. Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

From the Grady Gaston File this week, I give you “Part Five” of a statement Gaston made in 1943 about his ordeal in the Australian jungle during World War II.

Regular readers of this blog will know that Grady Gaston was a native of Frisco City, Ala. who died in 1998. He is most famous for having endured an epic struggle for survival after a military plane crash in the Australian wilderness during WWII. In the early days of the war, Gaston served as the radio operator aboard the “Little Eva,” a B-24 Liberator bomber that was based out of a remote airbase in Queensland, Australia. On Dec. 2, 1942, while on their way back from their first mission, their plane was disabled during a severe thunderstorm.

As the plane began to run out of fuel, Gaston and other members of the crew parachuted from the plane moments before it crashed in a remote area of the Australian wilderness. Up to that point, Gaston had never parachuted out of anything, much less a moving plane hundreds of feet off the ground, but miraculously he survived the jump. Others were not so lucky.

Once on the ground, Gaston found himself in a group of four who began making their way west toward the coast. Over time, the men slowly began to starve to death and eventually only Gaston was left alive. An extensive search was launched for the plane and the crew, but Gaston wasn’t found until April 23, 1943 when an Aborigine found him walking on the beach. Barely alive, Gaston had survived 141 days in a wilderness that would have killed experienced bushmen and Aborigines in similar circumstances.

Gaston’s ability to survive was mostly due to the fact that he was willing to eat things that his companions would not. With no way to start a fire, he ate whatever he could catch with his bare hands, including raw snakes, frogs, fish and sand crabs. He also fought off wild dogs, drank impure water and lost 70 pounds. He would later describe his experience, which led to him being featured in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!,” as “141 days of hell.”

Not long after his rescue, in May 1943, Gaston provided the military with an official statement of what happened to him and his colleagues in the Australian jungle, and today I provide you with the fifth portion of that official statement. This portion of his statement picks up after his discovery by an Australian ranch hand in the fourth portion of Gaston’s statement, which can be read at http://leepeacock2010.blogspot.com/2013/04/part-four-of-grady-gastons-official.html.

In the morning, the man fixed some “Johnnie Cakes” which were very good. After eating, he put me on one of his horses and started back to his house. It was 27 miles away and the ride was very hard for me but by taking it easy we arrived at his place late in the afternoon.

He killed a young goat that day and even though I had always heard that goat meat was not very good, it sure tasted good to me. He fixed a good meal of it and gave me lots of milk. The next morning, he killed a young bullock.

I guess I ate too much too soon because I got very sick. At the time of the crash, I weighed 168 pounds, but by now I was down to about 100 pounds. During this sick spell, he was very good to me and in three or four days I was able to start getting around a little bit.

My old tattered clothes were stiff as a board but he took them off of me and gave me some civilian clothes that were about two sizes too big. I stayed with him for two weeks during which time I gradually began to pick up weight and feel as though I could go on again. He sent me one of his boys to a police outpost located at a place called Boorolola, 75 miles away.

It was the first case the police had handled in seven years. At the time there were about 15 to 20 Australian soldiers on patrol duty in that section. With the aid of the black boy as a guide, they blazed a trail through country where no vehicle had ever traveled and after two and one half days of hard work they reached the place where I was.

They then went on to the cabin I had used and picked up the bodies of Lt. Dyer and Lt. Speltz after which we went to the town of Boorolola which consisted of just eight men, mostly natives. This was May 4. I stayed with the policeman for a day or two while he arranged to have a small airplane pick me up at a place called Anthony’s Lagoon.

The soldiers put me in their truck and drove 185 miles to the small field where the airplane would land. The plane arrived the next day. We flew to a place called Camoweal where we spent the night, and the next day he took me on to Cloncurry.

Everyone there was very nice to me. I had intended to keep my long beard and hair until I could join some of my former friends but the barber insisted that I let him cut it off which I did. The whole town was very good to me, giving me money, clothing or anything that I might need and taking me to their homes for meals.

I had been in Cloncurry a couple of days when on May 11, some American officers stopped at the hotel and asked for me. They gave me a bundle of clothing and told me that Capt. N.J. Foster of San Antonio, Texas (member of my organization) had sent them and made arrangements for their airplane to pick me up on its return trip the next day. That day and night seemed like a very long time to me, but at noon the following day they returned for me. I don’t believe I was any happier at seeing anyone in my life as I was that group of American officers and enlisted men.

We took off from Cloncurry at about 1:30 p.m. May 12 and arrived in Townsville at about 5:30 p.m. where Capt. Foster met me and brought me to the hospital, where I now am slowly recovering. I have since seen my former pilot, Lt. Grosson, who told me there was Sgt. Roy L. Wilson, Columbus, Ohio, one of our gunners who had been picked up with him on Dec. 18. I was very happy to know that at least some of our crew had been saved.

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Today’s post completes a five-part series of weekly posts on Gaston’s official statement, and if you’d like to read his entire statement, you can view it at www.dropbears.com/a/aviation/docs/SgtGradyGaston-LittleEva.pdf. If you’re interested in more details about Gaston’s ordeal, I’d also encourage you to read “The Crash of Little Eva: The Ultimate World War II Survivor Story” by Barry Ralph, which was originally published in November 2004 by the University of Queensland Press in Australia.

In the end, how many of you remember Grady Gaston? Do you have any memories of Gaston that you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments section below.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Conecuh County residents were saddened to hear the news this week of the passing of Emmett Eugene Darby, who passed away last Thursday at the age of 88 at his home in Montgomery.

Darby, a member of one of South Alabama’s prominent pioneer families, lived a long and interesting life, and was without a doubt a member of “The Greatest Generation.” Coined by journalist Tom Brokaw, the term “The Greatest Generation” applies to the generation of people who grew up in the U.S. during the Great Depression and then went on to serve in the military during World War II. After the war, many of this generation returned home, where they lived lives of service to their communities and changed the world for the better.

On this week’s front page, you’ll see a full story about Darby’s life and his many accomplishments, but if you read it closely, you’ll see where his life was almost cut short during WWII. Shortly after his graduation from Evergreen High School, Darby enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 18 and went on to serve aboard the USS Ommaney Bay.

The USS Ommaney Bay was an escort carrier that was launched in December of 1943, a little more than two years after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Named after Ommaney Bay in Alaska, this ship saw combat service in the Pacific, including fighting off the shores of Peleliu, the Anguar Islands and Samar.

On the afternoon of Jan. 4, 1945, with young Eugene Darby on board, the USS Ommaney Bay found itself in the Sulu Sea when a Japanese suicide plane, commonly referred to as a Kamikaze plane, slammed into the carrier’s starboard side south of Mindoro in the Philippine Islands. Before it crashed, the plane released two bombs, both of which went through the flight and hangar decks and exploded deep within the ship. These explosions knocked out water pressure, power and communications on the ship and ignited a terrible fire that resulted in heavy black smoke and exploding ammunition and torpedoes below decks.

The order to abandon ship was given at 5:50 p.m. and at 7:45 p.m. the carrier was sunk by a torpedo from the escort destroyer, USS Burns. Presumably this was done to prevent the wreckage, including sensitive wartime technology, from falling into Japanese hands. In the end, 95 men died in the sinking of the USS Ommaney Bay, but Darby was fortunate enough to count himself among the survivors.

Darby was honorably discharged from the Navy in April 1946, and many in the reading audience can remember Darby telling of his harrowing escape from the burning USS Ommaney Bay. In the ensuing years, he kept in touch with many of the ship’s survivors and enjoyed attending ship reunions when they were held.

According to a 2011 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimate, we lose an average of 670 World War II veterans a day, and it’s a sad fact of life that we’re losing so many of “The Greatest Generation” with each passing day. With that said, take the time this week to thank a World War II veteran for their service. It’s the least we can do in exchange for what they gave to the world decades ago.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Alabama and Auburn football fans will have good reason to tune into the NFL draft this week as a number of former players from both schools will be up for selection by NFL teams.

Draft eligible players from both schools include:

- Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner

- Alabama offensive guard Chance Warmack

- Alabama offensive tackle D.J. Fluker

- Alabama running back Eddie Lacy

- Alabama defensive tackle Jesse Williams

- Alabama center Barrett Jones

- Auburn outside linebacker Corey Lemonier

- Alabama inside linebacker Nico Johnson

- Alabama strong safety Robert Lester

- Auburn running back Onterio McCalebb

- Alabama long snapper Carson Tinker

- Alabama tight end Michael Williams

- Alabama defensive end Damien Square

- Alabama defensive tackle Quinton Dial

- Auburn tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen

- Auburn wide receiver Emory Blake

- Alabama kicker Jeremy Shelley

- Alabama fullback Kelly Johnson

- Auburn offensive guard John Sullen

- Auburn strong safety Daren Bates

- Auburn cornerback T’Sharvan Bell

Other in-state players in the mix include:

- Alabama A&M offensive guard Jamaal Johnson-Webb

- UAB offensive tackle Chris Hubbard

- West Alabama free safety Otha Foster

- West Alabama outside linebacker Ridge Wilson

- Troy wide receiver Chip Reeves

- Troy strong safety Brynden Trawick

- Alabama State offensive guard Terren Jones

- South Alabama inside linebacker Jake Johnson

- Troy running back Shawn Southward

- South Alabama strong safety B.J. Scott

- Alabama State wide receiver Gregory Jenkins

- North Alabama strong safety Rod Woodson

- West Alabama outside linebacker Deon Lacey

- Alabama State strong safety Kejuan Riley

- Troy fullback D.J. Taylor

The first-round of the draft will be held today (Thursday) with the second and third rounds to be selected on Friday at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds will be selected on Saturday.

Who will be the No. 1 pick overall? Your guess is as good mine, but if I had my choice, I’d go with Leon Sandcastle.

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The NBA playoffs tipped off this past Saturday, so pro basketball fans have a lot of good basketball to look forward to. Teams from the Eastern Conference that made the playoff cut included the Miami Heat, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Brooklyn Nets, the Chicago Bulls, the Indiana Pacers, the Atlanta Hawks, the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics. Teams from the Western Conference that made the playoffs included the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Houston Rockets, the L.A. Clippers, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Denver Nuggets, the Golden State Warriors, the San Antonio Spurs and the L.A. Lakers.

At this point, I look for Miami to win the East, and for Oklahoma City to win the West with Miami to win it all in The Finals. The Knicks and the Spurs could also make strong playoff runs, so I’d consider them to be a pair of dark horses.

With that said, we’ll have to wait a while to see if I’m right. The NBA playoffs are notoriously long. The first round started this past weekend and the last possible date for the NBA Finals will fall on Thurs., June 20. That’s a grand total of 57 days from today, that is, a little over eight weeks.

“Mary Hamilton Robinson was the recipient of the first Wayne Peacock Sportsmanship Award at Sparta Academy’s Sports Banquet held Thurs., April 18, 2002 in the school gym. Wayne Peacock passed away several months ago and his family established this award in his memory. Wayne was very dedicated to the girls basketball program at Sparta. During the 1980s, he was the girls basketball coach and as long as his health permitted he volunteered many hours at the school helping in any way that he could. This award will be given annually to a senior girls basketball player who demonstrates qualities of sportsmanship, leadership and academic excellence.”

“Rusty Salter was the recipient of the coveted Jerry Peacock Memorial Trophy at Sparta Academy’s sports banquet held April 18, 2002 in the school gym. The Peacock Trophy is given each year to the best all-around senior athlete who participates in football, basketball and baseball. It is named for the late Jerry Peacock, who was a standout athlete in Sparta Academy’s Class of 1977.”

“Derrick Williams was the recipient of the D.T. Stuart Sportsmanship Trophy at Sparta Academy’s sports banquet held April 18, 2002 in the school gym. The Stuart Trophy is presented each year to a senior football player that best exemplifies the true spirit of sportsmanship in games and also in practice. The players vote on the award.”

26 YEARS AGO
APRIL 23, 1987

“Warriors win 3 games, lose 1: The Sparta Academy Warriors won three baseball games and lost one in recent action.
“Sparta defeated Fort Dale-SBA, 10-7, in Greenville on April 7. Jeff Walker was the winning pitcher, giving up six hits and seven runs. Sparta had 12 hits and 10 runs. Walker, Tim Wilson, Johnny Brock and Brad Watts had two hits each.
“Sparta defeated Crenshaw Christian Academy, 12-2, in a game played in Evergreen April 10. Lee Wild was the winning pitcher, giving up four hits and two runs. Watts had two hits, including a triple. Jeff Carrier, Walker and Brock also had two hits each.
“Wilcox Academy defeated Sparta, 10-4, in Evergreen April 14. Walker was the losing pitcher. Wilcox had 10 hits and 10 runs while Sparta had six hits and four runs. Mike Osban had two hits and Carrier and Wild one hit each.
“Wild hurled a three-hitter in Evergreen April 16 as Sparta blanked Escambia Academy, 10-0. Sparta had 13 hits and 10 runs. Jeff Walker had a single, a double and a triple. Kenny Bledsoe, Robbie Bolton and Brock had two hits each.”

From “The Colyum” by Bob Bozeman – “I have just finished reading ‘Bowl, Bama, Bowl’ by Al Browning and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you are a football fan, I heartily recommend it. If you are a Crimson Tide fan, it is a must for your library.
“Al Browning is a native of Brewton and some of you may know him. He is a 1973 graduate of the University of Alabama and served nine years as sports editor and columnist with The Tuscaloosa News.”

41 YEARS AGO
APRIL 27, 1972

“Tommy Yearout, co-captain of the 1971 Auburn Tigers, will be the speaker at the first annual athletic banquet of the Sparta Academy Quarterback Club tomorrow night at the Holiday Inn. President James Ansley said only a few tickets are still available. Yearout, a 210-pound defensive tackle from Birmingham, is considered the finest speaker on the Auburn team. His talks are humorous, but he also gets across an inspirational message. A senior, he was a three-year starter for the War Eagles.”

“Col. Lee F. Smith presents the Evergreen Civil Air Patrol’s award for Best Lineman to Whalon Oliver who also received the Best Sportsmanship Trophy for football. Wayne Caylor presents the Station WBLO Best Back Trophy to Wavie Ausby who also won the Most Valuable Player Trophy for basketball which was presented by Coach Charles Branum. Marshall Davis received the Best Sportsmanship Trophy for basketball. Frank Murphy received the Evergreen Jaycees Best All Around Player Award. The awards were presented at the Evergreen High School Athletic Banquet Friday night.”

“Principal John Floyd presents a special award to Coach Wendell Hart to climax the Evergreen High Athletic Banquet. Hart retired from coaching at the end of the 1971 season ending one of South Alabama’s longest coaching careers that spanned 26 years.”

56 YEARS AGO
APRIL 25, 1957

“Uniforms Are Ordered Player Auction May 17: Uniforms for both the minor league and major league are being ordered, for all boys who will play, according to Junior League President Ward C. Alexander.
“’The big auction, where trading for players will take place, will be held on May 17,’ he said. ‘To keep trouble down over the players, we have invited Sheriff Shorty Brock,’ he added, with tongue in cheek. Bidding on the best players is expected to be fast and furious, with each manager trying to improve his team.
“Minor league tryouts are scheduled for May 1, May 8 and May 15.”

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

This week’s featured historical marker is the “PERDUE HILL INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL” marker between Perdue Hill and Claiborne in Monroe County, Ala.

This marker is located between the communities of Perdue Hill and Claiborne on the north side of U.S. Highway 84, about one mile west of the intersection of that highway and Monroe County Road 1. The marker is located in front of a small park area that includes a covered pavilion where reunions are held periodically. The GPS coordinates for the marker are 31° 31.514′ N, 87° 30.131′ W.

There’s printing on both sides of this marker, both sides are identical. This marker was erected by the Alabama Historical Association in 1996. What follows is the complete text from the marker:

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“PERDUE HILL INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL: The Perdue Hill Industrial School was founded by Patrick J. Carmichael after he moved to this area in 1918. Carmichael acted as both the principal and teacher during the early years of the school, which was originally a one-room structure serving 11 students. The State of Alabama provided $75 annually towards school operating costs, and students paid a tuition of $25 each year. When money ran short for the African American children that the school served, tuition was often paid with chickens or cans of syrup. Over the next 46 years, Carmichael was instrumental in the growth of the school, which ultimately reached 12 rooms which provided educational space for 250 students and 10 teachers. The school closed in 1964, and Carmichael was honored in 1968 by the Alabama State Senate for ‘outstanding accomplishments and contributions to humankind.’”

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For those of you unfamiliar with Perdue Hill, it’s an unincorporated community in western Monroe County. It’s the current home of the oldest building in Monroe County, the Old Masonic Lodge No. 3 building, which was originally located at Claiborne. Claiborne is another unincorporated community in western Monroe County, just a few miles west of Perdue Hill. It’s the quintessential “ghost town.” At it’s peak, in the early 1800s, it was the home of between 5,000 and 6,000 residents. Due to the decline in riverboat traffic, the rise of the railroads and yellow fever, the town dried up over the years. Today, the community is sparsely populated.

The historical marker mentioned above is in the vicinity of a number of other historical markers. There are two markers at Perdue Hill and also a couple at Claiborne. The two at Perdue Hill describe the Old Masonic Lodge No. 3 and the home of William Barrett Travis, the ill-fated hero of the Alamo. The markers at Claiborne describe the old military fort that was located there in the early 1800s and the town that was once located there.

In the end, visit this site next Wednesday to learn about another local historical marker. I’m also taking suggestions from the reading audience, so if you know of an interesting historical marker that you’d like me to feature, let me know in the comments section below.

It’s Wednesday, so today I give you my weekly list of movies that will open in theatres this week as well as a list of movies that will be released this week on DVD.

I hope this will serve as a useful guide as to what’s going on this week if you happen to be near a movie theatre or if you’re looking for something to drop into your NetFlix queue or pick up at the local Redbox.

If I could only watch one movie at the theatre this week, it would be “Kon-Tiki,” and if I had to pick just one DVD to rent this week, it would be “Gangster Squad.”

In the end, let me know if you get a chance to watch any of the new movies in theatres this week or if you’ve already seen any of the movies that have just been released on DVD. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The American Library Association recently released its annual State of America’s Libraries report, which includes its annual list of Top 10 List of Frequently Challenged Books for 2012. This list was compiled based on the 464 challenges reported to the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.

This year’s list of most challenged books is very different than last year’s list of most challenged books, and I thought it was especially interesting that “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee fell out of the Top 10 this year. It was in the Top 10 in 2011 and in 2009. It is often challenged due to offensive language, portrayals of racism and its suitability for age groups, according to the ALA.

The 2011 most challenged books list included:

1. “ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series)” by Lauren Myracle

2. “The Color of Earth (series)” by Kim Dong Hwa

3. “The Hunger Games” trilogy by Suzanne Collins

4. “My Mom’s Having a Baby! A Kid’s Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy” by Dori Hillestad Butler

Conditions: Mostly Cloudy skies, almost overcast; birds audible and visibile; standing water in yard from recent rain; security lights still on in the distance; small patches of spider webs visible in the grass.

Wind: 0.1 mph out of the Northeast.

Barometric Pressure: 29.63 inHg.

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.0 inches.

Month to Date Rainfall: 6.35 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 24.25 inches

NOTES: Today is the 113th day of 2013 and the 35th day of Spring. There are 252 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE

Monday, April 22, 2013

I scratched another item off my “life list” recently when I planted a vegetable garden for the first time.

On and off as a kid, I’d helped my grandparents with their gardens, but my parents never planted one, and I couldn’t honestly say that I’d ever planted one myself. That changed a week or so ago when my wife and teamed up to plant a small vegetable garden in our back yard.

Before I get into the meat of this thing, and in my defense, I have to say that I’m not a complete novice when it comes to gardening. It’s hard to grow up in Southwest Alabama without picking up some knowledge of how gardens work. Also, I took Ag in high school and occassionally read about gardening.

With that said, the first task in our recent vegetable garden project was to select a plot for our garden. We knew that we only planned to plant a few vegetables and that we wouldn’t need much room. We eventually picked a patch of dirt about 15 feet by 20 feet adjacent to our backyard shed and close to a water spigot.

Next, we borrowed my father-in-law’s gas-powered tiller and began breaking up the ground. This took a couple of days as we took the time to let the ground dry out from recent rains and picked out all of the lose grass and weeds. Our house sits on an old peanut field, so the ground wasn’t packed hard and tilling it wasn’t difficult once I got the hang of using the tiller.

Once the ground was prepared, we laid out our rows. We only needed three because we only planned to plant a few tomatoes, squash plants and cucumbers. My mother-in-law provided the plants, and the kids helped me and my wife set them out. That took an hour or so, and we then gave them a liberal dose of water from the nearby garden hose.

Between the tomato plants, my wife planted a few dandelions with the idea that these flowers will attract insects, which keeps them away from the tomato plants. I’d never heard of doing this before, but being no expert on the subject I kept my mouth shut. So far so good because as far as I can tell, the tomatoes are insect free up to this point.

A few days ago, my mother-in-law also donated some wire tomato cages and fertilizer to our project. I don’t have the fertilizer container in front of me, so the exact name of the product escapes me at the moment. According to the directions, you just apply a few balls of the fertilizer to the plants every few days, and the fertilizer absorbs into the ground, nurturing the plants.

Only time will tell as to how our first foray into vegetable gardening will turn out, but if we have any success it’ll mostly be due to the efforts of my wife and in-laws. In the end, how many of you have ever planted a vegetable garden? How many of you have a garden at home now? How big is your garden? What do you have planted in it? Let us know in the comments section below.

“James E. (Jimmy) Warren has qualified to seek re-election to the House of Representatives. He presently represents the 64th District, which includes Baldwin, Conecuh, Escambia and Monroe counties.”

“Frank L. Johnson Jr., 74, of Pearl, Miss. died Mon., April 22, 2002 at Hospice Ministries, Ridgeland.
“A native of Evergreen, Mr. Johnson served in the U.S. Air Force during the Berlin AirLift at the time of the Korean War. He was an Air Traffic Control Specialist in Alabama, Mississippi, Alaska and Florida.”

“The Conecuh County Commission passed a resolution at the meeting Monday morning to execute an agreement with the State of Alabama for a resurfacing project on County Road 29. The paving will go from Dean’s Store to the county line, according to County Engineer Winston Foshee.”

“On March 28, 2002, Knud Nielsen Co. held its annual awards ceremony. Each year employees are presented with company pins for their years of service at KNC. The above employees were recognized with having over 25 years of service: Julian Katz, Joann Knowles, Jerry Scott and Jim Rigby. Not pictured: Colonial Pitts.”

26 YEARS AGO
APRIL 23, 1987

“Earl Windham reports no rain during the week.”

“Little business council meeting: Mayor Pat Poole read a letter he received from the Navy. The Navy is giving the city an F-86 fighter plane to put on static display at Middleton Field Municipal Airport. The Navy will also repaint the airplane at the airport and put an insignia on it to give it its original appearance.”

“The first Strawberry Festival will be held Sat., May 2, in Castleberry. In the early 1920s, Castleberry was known as the Strawberry Center of Alabama. With the flood of 1924, three years of late freezes and the depression, the strawberry business was wiped out. So with all of this in mind, it was thought it would be appropriate to have a Strawberry Festival in Castleberry.
“The proceeds from the Strawberry Festival will be used by the Town of Castleberry for improvements and repairs on the sidewalks downtown.”

“Construction is moving along on a new substation in Evergreen Industrial Park. The substation will serve firms in the Industrial Park and also serve Polyfelt, Inc. and Florida Favorite Fertilizer on Miller Sellers Drive.”

“The Thirty-Second Anniversary and Retirement Service for the Rev. H.J. Hawkins, Pastor of the First Baptist Church, 129 South Main St., Evergreen, will be observed Sun., April 26, at 3 p.m.”

“Ellis Wayne Golson, son of Mr. and Mrs. M.T. (Tal) Golson of Rt. 2, Evergreen, will continue a tradition of Army service that runs strong in his family when he reports to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.
“His father served with distinction as an Army officer in both World War II and the Korean Conflict. His older brother, Ronnie, has already distinguished himself as an Army officer.
“Ellis is a senior at Lyeffion High School where he has been an outstanding student and athlete.”

“James Henry Witherington, 76, died suddenly Sun., April 23, in a Mobile hospital. He had undergone surgery earlier in the week and was apparently recovering well when stricken by the fatal attack.
“Mr. Witherington was a member of a prominent and pioneer Conecuh County family. He made his home in the old family place near Lyeffion on Highway 83.”

56 YEARS AGO
APRIL 25, 1957

“The Conecuh Implement Co. was sold this week to W.I. Cook, Billy Wayne Cook and Jimmy Cook, by Peterman Agricultural Co., according to an announcement made this week.”

“The ladies of the Eastern Star will have a bake sale at Wild Brothers Hardware Co., Sat., April 27, the proceeds to go to the Masonic Building fund.”

“The local National Guard unit, Battery C, will take part in the 117th Field Artillery Battalion howitzer exercises at Ft. Rucker this weekend, according to Battery Commander Capt. Randy Moorer.”

“Petitions Are Circulated Here Favoring Whynot Site For Base: 3 County Groups To Fly to Washington: The Evergreen Steering Committee on the Jet Base met Monday morning and drafted plans for the circulation of over 100 petitions endorsing the ‘Whynot’ site.
“Also discussed at the meeting were plans for presenting the petitions before Congress and the Secretary of the Navy by groups from Conecuh, Escambia and Covington counties in Washington on Tues., April 30. The delegation will fly to the capitol with Gov. James Folsom to talk to members of the Alabama Congressional delegation and to present the petitions.”

71 YEARS AGO
APRIL 23, 1942

“At the regular weekly meeting of the Evergreen Rotary Club last week the annual election of officers was held and W.O. Henderson was elected president; D.T. Stuart Jr., vice-president; P.L. Pace, secretary-treasurer.”

“Judge Chauncey Sparks, candidate for Governor of Alabama, is scheduled to address the voters of this county next Saturday afternoon, April 25 at 4 p.m.”

“Any able-bodied man or woman in Conecuh County, 18 years or older and with good hearing and eyesight, is eligible to apply immediately to the nearest forest ranger or to the State Personnel Department at Montgomery for immediate work at $60 per month as a forest towerman.”

“Dr. E.L. Kelly, County Health Officer, announced this week that S.G. Spann had returned to this county to resume his former work as sanitation officer connected with the health department.”

“A wedding of much interest to their many friends and relatives here and elsewhere was that of Miss Ruby Nell Ellis to Mr. Talmadge Golson on Monday evening, April 20, at eight o’clock at the home of the bride’s uncle, Rev. E.E. Ellis.”

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Today is Sunday, so that means that it’s time for my weekly breakdown of this week’s Publishers Weekly Best-Sellers Lists. According to those lists, there is only one new book at the top of the four major best-sellers lists this week.

"Daddy's Gone a Hunting" by Mary Higgins Clark replaced "Starting Now" by Debbie Macomber as the No. 1 book on the hardcover fiction best-sellers list.

"Lean In" by Sheryl Sandberg remained the top book on the hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list for the fifth week in a row.

"The Best of Me" by Nicholas Sparks remained the top book on the mass market paperback best-sellers list for the second straight week.

"The Witness" by Nora Roberts remained the No. 1 book on the trade paperbacks best-sellers list for the second consecutive week.

There were five books on this week’s hardcover fiction best-sellers list that weren’t on that list lat week. They (and their places on the list) included "Daddy's Gone a Hunting" by Mary Higgins Clark (1), "Don't Go" by Lisa Scottoline (2), "Unintended Consequences" by Stuart Woods (4), "The Interestings" by Meg Wolitzer (13) and "Tapestry of Fortunes" by Elizabeth Berg (15).

There were seven books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They included "The Fast Metabolism Diet" by Haylie Pomroy (2), "Give and Take" by Adam Grant (7), "I Declare" by Joel Osteen (9), "Nature's Fortune" by Mark Tercek, Jonathan Adams (12), "The One Thing" by Gary Keller (13), "A Higher Call" by Adam Makos (14) and "Unsinkable" by Debbie Reynolds (15).

There was only one book on this week’s mass market paperbacks best-sellers list that wasn’t on the list last week - "You Don't Want to Know" by Lisa Jackson, which was No. 14 on the list.

There were two books on this week’s trade paperbacks best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They included "Waking Up in Heaven" by Crystal McVea (12) and "Quiet" by Susan Cain (15).

As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. These lists are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com. Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists.